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Mayor's pledge to accept democratic process was recorded

(May 13, 2010)
THE mayor of Warminster Tony Nicklin has claimed that he has been unfairly quoted about a pledge at a public meeting at the Assembly Rooms that set in motion the landslide rejection of the town council plans including putting their offices there.
 
A town website warminster-web.co.uk reported 'But to remind him, and us, of what he said, as Mayor, on 31 March when the poll was called "We will accept the democratic decision, there is no question about that."
 
The vote was 540 against the move, just 48 for it.'
 
The outgoing Mayor backtracked from the impression he created demanding that the article be removed.
 
(The website carries a recording of the words which councillor Nicklin claims has been taken out of context.)
 
'Will you please remove from your web-site the quotations that you are indicating I have made. I have never said that I would accept the decision of the poll, only the democratic process, i.e. the decision to hold a parish meeting, and then to hold a parish poll. You have taken my comments out of context.''
 
"My impression was that he meant the result of the poll but let's give him the benefit of the doubt as he did say an awful lot that night," said Paul Macdonald who heard the words and has sent a reaction to the editor of the website.
 
"If as a candidate at the local election he was voted in after about one in three of the electorate voted would he refuse to take his seat?
 
"Would he have demanded that the councillor that I remember was elected with only about one in eight of the electorate turning out at a bye-election be denied their seat?
 
"And as a family member said to me today if the town council ignores the result then in future if there is ever a vote again nobody will turn out as they know the council will ignore it.
 
"We need a civic appraisal that gives us the ability to integrate all our community centres in a vibrant and attractive town centre with their own niche position that also has a positive spin-off for our traders and I once again ask that all our eggs are not put in one basket."

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